


All I've Ever Known

by lastyoungrene_gay_de



Series: Klaus and Dave playlist... Klave playlist... a Klavelist, if you will [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Based on a song, Dave's POV, Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Vietnam War, based on the song all ive ever known from hadestown, dave has supportive sisters tho because im gay and i said so, not a hadestown au tho just based on that song, welcome to the fuck reginald hargreeves club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 22:00:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22005103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastyoungrene_gay_de/pseuds/lastyoungrene_gay_de
Summary: Dave meets a man who seems to have appeared from no where, and everything he thought he knew about himself changes.
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves
Series: Klaus and Dave playlist... Klave playlist... a Klavelist, if you will [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741702
Comments: 23
Kudos: 152





	All I've Ever Known

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing about war and every time I tried to do research I got really pissed about the US involvement in Vietnam so you're stuck with this.

_ I was alone so long _

_ I didn’t even know that I was lonely _

_ Out in the cold so long _

_ I didn’t even know that I was cold _

_ Turned my collar to the wind _

_ This is how it’s always been _

Everything sucked. Vietnam sucked. War sucked. It all sucked. It was loud, crowded, and dirty. Everyone was always covered in mud, sweat, and blood. Dave spent most of his unoccupied time digging under his nails. That’s what he’d been doing that night, before he laid down on his cot and attempted to get some sleep before whatever was coming next happened. 

He took his shirt off and spread it out as best he could to effectively dry the sweat soaking it before he had to put it back on, and he was just drifting off when suddenly there was a low rumble that shook the tent. At first, Dave thought it was the sound of a helicopter flying low, but he was proven wrong when it was immediately followed by a loud  _ zap _ and a flash bright enough for him to see through his eyelids. He opened his eyes and hauled himself up onto his elbows. 

He was not expecting what he saw. 

A man with an unfamiliar face was struggling on the floor. He was wearing nothing but a towel covered in blood and a long black coat, and was holding onto what seemed to be a briefcase. After a few seconds he managed to sit up and looked directly at Dave. 

His eyes were wide and darting around, obviously trying to take in his surroundings. He wrapped his arms around the briefcase and shook his head lightly. He looked just as confused as Dave felt. 

They didn’t have time to straighten anything out though, because just then the whizzing of bombs screamed out above them. Dave instinctively looked up as he sat all the way up and scrambled off his cot. 

“Incoming!” Everyone copied Dave and began getting ready to get to the bus. “Go time, ladies! Charlie’s on the wire!” More orders were shouted as the men scrambled around the tent. 

“You got mud in your ears, boy? Get dressed!” a commander yelled, looking at Dave. No, not at Dave, but right behind him. He turned around as he got the last of his gear on to see the new guy still sitting on the floor wrapped around the briefcase. He started waving his arms and Dave could see his mouth moving, but couldn’t hear his words over the rest of the commotion in the tent. 

“War’s not gonna wait for you to get pretty! Chaz, get this man operational. And get him a pair of pants! Let’s go!” Chaz was on the other side of New Guy than Dave, and was having some trouble getting his own pants on, so Dave grabbed the first pair of his own he could and handed them over to New Guy, who started pulling them on under his towel. “Do you think I have time to waste? Get him a gun!” Someone placed a helmet on his head. “Don’t look at me, get those pants on!” 

Dave wasn’t sure how, but by the time they got to the bus, New Guy had boots, a shirt, and a rifle, too. He’s sitting alone a few rows in front of Dave and staring straight ahead as they got closer to their destination. He was holding the gun so tightly Dave could see how white his knuckles were as he moved up a few rows so he was sitting right behind him. He jumped when Dave put a hand on his shoulder. 

“You just get in country?” Dave asked, as if the answer wasn’t obvious. 

“Oh, uh… yeah,” he answered, turning to look back at Dave. He was pale and stiff, but there wasn’t much off about that. Most guys were the same way when they first got there. What  _ was _ off about the guy is the dark smudges around his eyes. It looked like makeup, which most guys would never touch in their lives, no matter how you tried to tempt them. At least, not ones who valued their lives. 

“Shit’s crazy, I know,” was all Dave said. 

“Yeah,” New Guy responded and nodded his head. 

“You’ll adjust,” Dave continued, allowing himself to look the guy up and down once. “I’m Dave.” He extended his hand to shake. New Guy looked as it for a moment before grabbing it with his own. 

“Klaus.” 

It was an awkward shake, but Dave gave Klaus a small smile anyway. 

\-----

Dave wasn’t sure what to think of Klaus his first few days. He talked. A lot. He talked nonsense, he talked funny, he talked to everyone, and he talked to no one. 

Dave always watched the new guys when they first got to camp. Partly to try to figure them out, but also to get to know them in general. He was always careful about making friends out here, though. He knew that having people to talk to about dumb shit made the whole thing easier to bear, but he tried not to get too attached to anyone because… yeah, he tried to avoid that. 

He found himself watching Klaus longer than the first few days, though. There was something about Klaus that made Dave unable to stop. 

His arrival was confusing and out of place, but Klaus himself was so confusing and out of place that everyone forgot about it. Everyone except Dave, but he never said anything about it either, so maybe no one else forgot after all. 

But Dave watched him. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he did. 

Klaus was… interesting, to say the least. He had an energy or… no, that wasn’t it. Energy wasn’t right, but there was definitely something about Klaus that made it impossible for Dave to look away. It might have been because he was so friendly and outgoing. Dave really hoped it was because he was so friendly and outgoing. 

“So, Dave,” he started one night as they were prying their shoes off. “How long have you been in hell?” 

“I’m from Texas, so my entire life,” Dave said. He leaned back on his cot and put his hands under his head. 

“Yeah, I’m glad I can’t say the same,” Klaus said and heaved out a sigh. He let his shoulders slump and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and facing Dave. 

“A little over a month now,” Dave answered and looked over at him. He wanted to ask Klaus about the night he got there, but something stopped him. 

“What about you?” he asked instead. “Where you from?” 

“Ah, you know. Here and there, nowhere good,” was all he said in response. Dave was going to ask for more, but he wasn’t given the chance. 

“Hey Hargreeves, you got a smoke?” Chaz asked as he entered the tent and made his way to his cot. 

“Yeah, but not for you,” Klaus shot back as he turned his head to follow Chaz through the tent. 

“Oh, come’n man,” he jokingly protested. 

“You know damn well you have plenty of your own,” Klaus said. Chaz reached his cot and dug around in his bag for a second before standing up and leaving the tent again. 

“Well that don’t mean I gotta like it,” he said with a laugh on his way out. Dave watched him leave. 

“Huh,” he said shortly. 

“What?” Klaus asked as he dug around in his own things. 

“Most of the guys are scared shitless of him,” Dave said and sat up to look directly at Klaus, who shrugged. 

“I’ve dealt with worse,” he said while he played with a cigarette in his fingers. Something about that didn’t sit well with Dave, knowing Klaus had gone through shit before being sent out here. 

Klaus seemed oblivious to Dave’s conflict with his comment. Instead, he looked up at Dave and a smirk played on his lips. He held the cigarette out toward Dave, clutched between his middle and index fingers. 

“Smoke?” he said, staring right at Dave, who smiled as he took it from him. 

\-----

Dave had had trouble sleeping. It wasn’t exactly new; if anything he’d been sleeping  _ better _ since getting shipped out to Vietnam. 

He used to sleep well enough at home, sharing a room with his brother and his sisters down the hall, but that was before it got out. He still didn’t really know how his parents found out, but they did. His brother hadn’t talked to him since, but his sisters somehow found out he’d been drafted and had sent him a few letters. 

He stopped sleeping well when his parents kicked him out. He’d managed to find a place to stay with similar people with similar wants, but he still got nervous as he was falling asleep there. He worried his parents and brother would bust into his room and somehow kick him out of that home too. 

And now the same thing that got him kicked out of home could get him kicked out of here. Killed, even. It could get him killed here, so falling asleep was difficult. 

He wasn’t the only one with that problem, though. Klaus rarely slept. When he did sleep, he whispered and whimpered and sometimes woke up screaming. 

It didn’t take long for them to connect while everyone else was sleeping. They’d sit on the floor between their bunks, each of them with their backs against their own cot facing each other with their legs stretched out toward the other. It started with comforts after nightmares. Mostly Dave comforting Klaus, but sometimes it was the other way around. 

Dave never told him exactly what his nightmares were about. The faceless, nameless man being shoved out the door by his father. His father spinning around and hitting him. His sisters’ faces full of disgust. He didn’t know where any of that came from, or why any of it was so clear in his mind, because none of it had actually happened. No matter where it came from, he couldn’t tell Klaus what got him so fucked up at night. 

Apparently Klaus had some personal problems terrorizing him at night too, because he never went into detail either. The most Dave ever really got out of him was stoned muttering about ghosts and spirits. 

One night, though… one night there were no nightmares. That night started with jokes and childhood stories and poorly stifled laughter. 

“What do you mean you never climbed a tree as a kid?” Dave asked. 

“Yeah, we did much more dangerous stuff as kids,” Klaus said. “I didn’t climb a tree ‘till after I moved out.” 

“Why on Earth did you climb a tree as an adult?” Dave asked incredulously. 

“Man, I don’t know,” Klaus laughed. “But it definitely had something to do with drugs.” 

“Yeah that adds up.” Klaus laughed at his deadpan delivery. Dave liked making Klaus laugh; the way a genuine smile lit up his face was nothing short of beautiful. 

“Alrighty then, what kind of stuff did you do in trees at a kid?” Klaus asked with the grin still on his lips and a gleam in his eyes. “What was I missing out on?” 

“Well,” Dave said and thought back on it. “Get scrapes and bruises mostly. Broke my arm falling outta one once.” Klaus laughed again, softly this time. 

“Yeah, I broke my jaw falling down some stairs once,” he said. Dave grimaced. 

“Would you fuckers shut the fuck up,” someone groaned from a few cots away. “Just ‘cause you can’t sleep don’t mean you gotta keep the rest of us up.” 

Dave rolled his eyes and could see Klaus’ frame rocking as he held back laughter. 

“Yeah, whatever,” Dave said, but still looked at Klaus and gestured for him to follow him when he got off the floor and left the tent. He followed him to the edge of base, where they sat with their backs against a tree facing camp. 

“So fell down some stairs, huh?” Dave asked in an attempt to bring the energy from earlier in the conversation back. 

“Yeah,” Klaus said. He seemed to be doing the exact opposite of what he was doing before. His face fell and his shoulders slumped as he responded. “The old man caught me doin’ something he wasn’t too happy with, and uhh…” He shook his head as he finished. “Down I went.” 

“Wait, like…?” Dave asked, now understanding why Klaus was closing back up. 

“Yeah, the guy was an asshole.” 

“Klaus, I’m sorry,” Dave said. “I didn’t mean to bring it up.” 

“Nah,” Klaus told him and dismissed his concerns with a wave of his hand. “It’s hardly the worst thing he did to me. To any of us.” He pulled a cigarette- or maybe it was a joint- out of his pocket and lit it without giving a second thought to how fucked up what he just said was. 

“ _ Us _ ?” Dave repeated. “How many siblings do you have?” 

“There were seven of us,” Klaus said. 

“ _ Seven _ ?” Dave asked and decided not to say anything about ‘were.’ “You have six siblings?” 

“Yeah,” Klaus said with a nod. “And dear old Dad didn’t give a shit about any of us.” 

“Well, I can relate to that,” Dave said. “Dad never gave a shit about me or my siblings either.” 

“You have siblings?” Klaus asked. Dave nodded. “How many?” 

“Two sisters and a brother.” There was a beat of silence before Klaus spoke again. 

“Are they who send you letters?” Dave looked over at him again. Klaus looked self conscious, a look Dave wasn’t familiar with on him. “Sorry. It’s hard not to notice everyone’s letters when you’re the only one not getting any.” 

“Yeah, they’re from my sisters,” Dave said and looked down at his feet. “I had a…  _ falling out _ with my parents a while back and we all lost touch. The two of them found out I got drafted and started writing me letters. I can’t write back because they still live with Mom and Dad and they can’t know they’re writing me.” 

“That’s awful,” Klaus said. “You deserve better than that.” 

Dave knew he didn’t. 

“And you deserve better than your asshole of a father,” he replied. 

“No I don’t,” Klaus said and took a drag. “I’m an asshole too.” 

“Isn’t everyone?” Dave countered. Something about the way Klaus talked about himself really got to Dave. There was much more to Klaus than he could see; maybe more than even Klaus could see. 

“Not you,” Klaus said, once again looking straight at Dave. He didn’t have a response to that. 

With that, Klaus stood, dropped and extinguished the joint, and walked back to the tent. 

Dave stayed behind, left alone with his thoughts. 

  
  
  
  


_ All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own _

_ All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own _

_ But now I wanna hold you, too _

Dave remembered his earlier hopes that he was watching Klaus so much because he was so friendly and outgoing- so odd compared to everything around them. He knew now that that wasn’t the case. And that he was fucked. 

It made him nervous. Dave knew who he was;  _ what _ he was. It had made things harder for him back home. He’d managed to keep the knowledge from others’ minds, but there were times when he wasn’t sure how. 

This was one of those times. 

He  _ still _ couldn’t stop watching Klaus. 

At least now it was justified, as Klaus was always talking to him. Well not  _ to him _ , but he was always talking, and he always had an audience. Dave couldn’t even make out what he was talking about most of the time, but he made the guys laugh and Dave forget he was fighting a pointless war. 

Yeah, he was fucked. Once he figured that much out, he started doing some pretty stupid things. 

“There’s no way that’s true,” Chaz laughed one evening after Klaus finished another wild tale, supposedly from his own childhood. 

“Cross my heart,” Klaus said and shoved another forkful of food in his mouth. 

“Whatever,” one of the guys scoffed. Klaus didn’t seem to notice, but Dave turned to see who spoke. Daniels was shaking his head as he looked at his food. Dave looked away before anyone caught him. 

He’d noticed Daniels giving Klaus a lot of shit since he got there. Childish stuff- trying to scare him, throwing shit at him, taking his stuff. It upset Dave, knowing that it was only Klaus he was messing with. 

Then one day, he snapped. Well, they both snapped. 

“What’s so special about this thing anyway, Hargreeves?” Daniels asked one night after Klaus checked on his briefcase. Dave had seen Klaus move quickly since he got there, but nothing he had done before compared to the speed he had then. 

Daniels ripped the briefcase from under Klaus’ cot. Klaus leaped from where he was standing on the other side of the cot and tried to yank it out of his hands, but Daniels turned around and kept it out of reach. 

“Give it back asshole,” Klaus demanded. 

“Why? Whatcha hidin’?” 

“You’re not fuckin’ funny, Daniels! Give it back!” 

They had the attention of everyone in the tent now. The areas around Klaus and Daniels had cleared, the boys anticipating a fight. 

“Okay, Daniels,” Dave interrupted. “You’ve had your fun, put it down.” 

Daniels slowly turned back around and squared his shoulders. 

“No,” he said firmly. “There’s somethin’ funny about this thing, and I wanna know what it is.” 

“Come on man,” Dave said with a shake of his head. “It’s no weirder than the crappy poetry you got under your bunk.” 

Daniels’ face fell as sniggers erupted from the men around them. 

“Screw you two,” Daniels said and started fiddling with the clasps on the briefcase. 

“No!” Klaus yelped and actually jumped on Daniels’ back. 

“Hey, what the hell?” 

Someone darted forward and tried to pull Klaus off of Daniels, and without even thinking about it Dave took a few steps forward and knocked him square in the jaw. 

Daniels dropped the briefcase and kicked it across the tent as he tried to throw Klaus off his back. The guy Dave punched, Williams, he realized then, made another move toward Klaus. 

Klaus elbowed him in the chest and slid off Daniels’ back. Williams staggered backwards as Klaus ducked under Daniels’ next attempt to grab him and ran to the briefcase. Dave stepped between Daniels and Klaus as Daniels made another move toward him. 

There was a beat of silence as they all stood staring at each other and breathing heavily. No one in their audience moved either. 

“I think we’re done here,” Dave said. Daniels shook his head and left the tent, shoving Dave as he walked past him. Williams muttered as he made his way to his cot, and the rest of the guys dispersed as if nothing had happened. That left Dave and Klaus together, still breathing heavily. 

Dave turned to Klaus, who had his arms wrapped around the briefcase and his eyes wide, much like when he first got to base. 

“You okay?” Dave asked. Klaus just nodded in response. He started walking back to his cot without saying a word. He carefully slid the briefcase back under the cot and sat down tensley. 

Dave sat down on his cot and leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. Klaus was still sitting on his bed and staring off at nothing. 

“Crappy poetry, huh?” he eventually said. He was obviously not really up for a conversation, but he couldn’t sit in silence either. 

“Yeah,” Dave scoffed. “I’m talkin’ ‘roses are red’ shit that doesn’t even rhyme. I get poetry doesn’t always make sense, personal interpretation, and all that, but some stuff is just bad.” 

“Yeah,” Klaus said, still distant. “Just bad.” He leaned back and stretched out over his cot. He was silent for a while, and Dave thought he was done for the night, but then he said: “I know all about bad.” 

Dave turned his head to look at him. 

“You’re not just talkin’ about crappy poetry, are you?” 

Klaus laughed lightly and shook his head, still looking up at the tarp ceiling of the tent. 

“Davey, my life is the kind they write crappy poetry about.” He turned on his side so his back was to Dave. This time Dave was sure the conversation was over.

\-----

Klaus told wild stories. He told weird stories and sang weird songs and told weird jokes, and then just moved on when no one seemed to understand him. He just nodded his head and said something else when his comments were met with confused looks. Dave finally asked him about it one night.

“Ya know,” he started as Klaus looked up at the sky. “You say some of the weirdest shit sometimes, and don’t seem too surprised when no one understands.” 

Klaus shrugged and didn’t look away from the stars. 

“I just forget where I am sometimes,” he said. “Forget people won’t know what I’m talking about until they don’t know what I’m talking about.” 

“Where do you think you are, then?” 

Klaus was silent for so long Dave thought he wasn’t going to respond. He tried to think of another topic to change to, but then Klaus spoke. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said. 

“Okay, I know being weird and dramatic is your whole  _ thing _ ,” Dave said, “but that’s a little much, even for you.” 

Klaus finally turned to look at him. There was no lightness or joke in his eyes, which was a look of Klaus’ that Dave wasn’t too familiar with. It looked both unnatural and  _ true _ . It scared him, and he never wanted to see it again. 

“It doesn’t matter, it’s never somewhere I wanted to be,” Klaus finally said and took a long drag from the joint clutched in his fingers. “I know that isn’t any less dramatic, but anything else would be just as weird as anything else I ever say.” 

Dave leaned back against his tree. 

“Dramatic or weird,” he laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like you.” 

“I’m really that predictable, huh?” Klaus said, no detectable emotion in his voice. 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Dave breathed. 

Klaus turned and gave him a look. It was one of those long, hard looks that felt like Klaus could see right into him. Klaus could see his deepest secrets and his most hidden thoughts and there was nothing Dave could do about it. 

_ You take me in your arms _

_ And suddenly there’s sunlight all around me _

_ Everything bright and warm _

_ And shining like it never did before _

_ And for a moment I forget _

_ Just how dark and cold it gets _

_ All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own _

_ All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own _

_ But now I wanna hold you _

Dave was running. He wasn’t sure what direction he was running in or where he was running to, but he was running. 

They’d been in the shit for, Dave couldn’t even remember how long. Time had run together into one brown and red blur. He didn’t know the last time he slept, ate, or felt safe, but he knew it had to be close if they were running. That or the other thing. Either way, the pain in every part of his body and the burning in his lungs would stop. 

He’d lost the few people he’d been running with; he fell behind, or they did, or they were done. Whatever happened to them, he couldn’t hear the pounding of their feet anymore. It was dark and he couldn’t see any more than a few feet in front of him. He was exhausted, and eventually he had to stop. 

He leaned against the closest tree and slowly lowered himself to the ground so he was sitting against it. He knew falling asleep was dangerous, in this situation there was no guarantee he would get a chance to wake back up, but he was so tired he wasn’t sure he could keep himself awake. 

He didn’t want to be awake. Being awake meant worrying about people he hadn’t seen in… hours? Days? Weeks? He didn’t know anymore. Chaz, Williams, Klaus- he worried about all of them now that his mind was the part of him moving the fastest. 

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree, and he worried. He worried about Klaus. 

When was the last time he’d seen him? What did he say? Were they the last words he would ever get to say to him?

_ Stop it _ , he had to tell himself. There was no point in worrying now, not before he had any real information about anyone else. He didn’t even have any real information on himself yet. 

He began drifting off, and was just about asleep when he heard a snap from behind him, followed by rustling. It jolted him awake, and he slowly raised his rifle and flicked the safety off. The rustling continued moving, closer and closer. He could still barely see, so if the approaching footsteps belonged to the enemy chances were he wasn’t going to be the one walking away from this, especially sitting down like he was. 

He heard the person pass a few feet away on his right. When he looked over, he saw the figure, who didn’t seem to notice him. He was tall and scrawny, but that was all he could make out. He could have stayed silent and been sure the guy would walk off without noticing him. That probably would have been the smart thing to do, but he was too tired to be smart. He raised his rifle. 

“Stop.” He wanted to be more forceful, but apparently he was too tired to even do the stupid thing well. 

The other guy spun around on his heels, raising his gun in his shaking hands as he did. With his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Dave could make out the face of the man now lowering his rifle. 

“Klaus.”

“Oh my god, Dave!” 

He wasn’t sure how, but Dave forced himself up off the ground as Klaus made his way toward him. He staggered and almost fell over again when Klaus threw his arms around his shoulders- or  _ an _ arm around his shoulder. Klaus’ right arm was wrapped around Dave and his left hung limply at his side. He wrapped his arms around Klaus and ended up with an arm covered in blood. 

“God, Klaus,” he said and spun Klaus around by his shoulders to get a better look at whatever was bleeding. “What happened?” 

“I don’t even know,” he said with what was obviously a fake chuckle. Dave tried to look at the wound, but all he could make out was a long gash along his shoulder. 

“Goddamnit, it’s too dark. I can’t see anything,” Dave complained. Klaus shrugged him off and turned back around. 

“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Did you just tell  _ me _ not to worry?” 

“Yeah, I realized as soon as I said it,” Klaus said. “But really, it’s not as bad as it looks.” 

“Well, I can’t see it, so that doesn’t mean shit to me,” Dave shot back. “Sorry,” he added when he heard the harshness in his tone. “Sorry, it’s just been a lot recently.” His voice was much softer this time. 

“Yeah, I know,” Klaus said, voice just as soft. 

They both stood there. Silently. Dave was beginning to be hit by his exhaustion again. Klaus must have been able to tell. 

“What about you? Are you okay?” he asked. Dave drug a hand down his face. 

“Yeah, I just,” he started, but he didn’t know how to finish. Luckily he didn’t need to. 

Klaus wrapped his arm around him again. Dave released a heavy sigh and hugged him back. 

He could feel some of his nerves melting away as he stood there with Klaus. 

\-----

They regrouped. They got bandaged up. They moved base. 

They found a new tree. 

Klaus couldn’t sit against it for a while because of the healing gash on his back. Instead he sat with his legs crossed in front of Dave and looking straight at him. Sometimes Dave swore Klaus could see right into him. All his fears, secrets, hopes, and dreams were all set out neatly on display when Klaus looked at him like that. 

“How’s your back feel?” he asked one night in hopes to break Klaus’ concentration and keep some of himself private. 

“It’s been better and it’s been worse,” he said with a shrug and finally looked away. Dave leaned all the way back against the tree and crossed his arms. 

“Why the hell is it you never actually answer a question?” he asked. 

“No one ever believes my answers,” Klaus said and looked down at the ground. “I find it’s better to just not.” 

Dave hated that. He didn’t know who was asking Klaus questions or how far not believing him went, but if it meant he avoided simple questions like ‘how does your back feel?’ after being injured, it went too far. It meant Klaus was scared to talk to anyone, and Dave didn’t want Klaus to be afraid to talk to him. He wanted to know Klaus. To know everything about him.

So he tried again. 

“Klaus, how is your back feeling?” Klaus looked back up at him, confused. Dave leaned toward him and raised his eyebrows. A few seconds later, Klaus seemed to understand and his face softened a bit. 

“It’s better,” he said. Dave smiled at him. 

“Good.” 

Klaus smiled back, and  _ goddamn it _ , Dave was so fucked. Still. 

_ Now I wanna hold you, hold you close _

_ I don’t wanna ever have to let you go _

_ Now I wanna hold you, hold you tight _

_ I don’t wanna go back to the lonely life _

A day off finally came, days off actually. Dave figured it wasn’t nearly soon enough. 

Something had been getting to Klaus. He’d been jittery and restless the entire time he’d been in the shit, but it had obviously been worse for him the last few days before break. Well, obvious to Dave, who spent more time worrying about Klaus than himself. 

“You got any plans for the next few days?” Dave asked as they wandered the streets of Saigon looking for a motel to crash at. 

“Get fucked up,” Klaus responded with his eyes on the ground. Dave waited a moment before speaking again. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. Klaus looked over at him and laughed a bit. 

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m always fucked up, Dave.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Dave said carefully, because he did, but there was something else very, very off about Klaus. “You’ve just been kinda off the last few days.” 

“Well excuse me if I’m not feeling too fucking cheery today, Dave,” he snapped. Dave stopped in his tracks, not sure how to respond. Klaus didn’t seem to notice and kept walking down the road, bumping into people as he went. 

After a while of more wandering, they eventually found a motel to crash at until they had to head back. A few familiar faces were also staying there, so finding something to do later in the evening wouldn’t be too hard. 

“Oh lord,” Klaus said when they opened the door. He ran past Dave and inside. He spun around and inspected the room, then darted off to one corner. 

“Dave, there’s a bathtub,” he said, eyes wide in amazement. “If you wanna wash off before we all go out for the night I suggest you do it now, because I plan to sit in that bath until the last possible second before we go.” Dave laughed. 

“I was actually gonna nap on a real bed,” he said, and gestured over his shoulder to the beds. 

“That’s a good plan,” Klaus said quickly and pointed at Dave. “You do that-” he used the same hand to point across his body to the bathroom- “I’ll take a bath, and we’ll head out with the guys later?” 

“Perfect,” Dave said. Klaus gave him a thumbs up and disappeared into the bathroom. 

And he wasn’t kidding about staying in the bath. Dave fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he only woke up to the harsh knocking on the door. 

“Hey, we’re all headin’ to a club a few blocks over if y’all wanna join,” Chaz said.

“Yeah,” Dave said. “Klaus is washing up, we’ll head over later.” 

And with that, the group that had gathered outside the door turned and left with a ruckus. 

“Klaus,” Dave called and made his way to the bathroom door. “Klaus, the guys just came by. They’re heading out now.” 

“Okay, give me a few minutes,” he called back. The announcement was followed by splashing and a few aggressive footsteps. 

Dave flopped back onto the bed on his back, looking up at the ceiling. A few minutes later the bathroom door opened and Klaus appeared again, still in his army fatigues. 

“Where are we going?” he asked. Dave saw he was still on edge. He was tense as he walked and his eyes were still darting around. 

“A bar a few blocks away,” Dave answered and pushed himself off the bed. He dug around in his pocket until he found a cigarette. He held it out to Klaus. “Smoke?” 

His face softened slightly. 

“Dear God, please,” he sighed. Dave passed it over. 

They made their way out of the room and down the street. Klaus tapped Dave on the shoulder and offered him the cigarette. He accepted and took a long drag, and when he went to pass it back he realized Klaus had stopped in his tracks a few steps back. He was staring at something across the street. 

“Klaus, what?” Dave followed his gaze to one of the store windows. 

“Sorry,” he said. He finally looked back at Dave. “I’m just really tired of wearing these clothes.” 

Dave looked at the shop window again then back at Klaus. He tilted his head toward the store. 

“Come on,” he said and checked the road before crossing. 

“Hey, wai- Dave!” He heard Klaus call after him.

“Come on,” Dave repeated over his shoulder. He pulled the door open and gestured for Klaus to enter. He did so with a chuckle. 

Dave watched as Klaus wandered through the unorganized racks of clothes. He held up a shirt every once in a while for Dave to see, and after a few minutes he seemed to have chosen a yellow and white vertically striped one. Dave held back a remark about how the shirt looked a few sizes too small as Klaus looked for a new pair of pants. 

Klaus disappeared after a few more minutes, and when he came back Dave had to make a conscious effort to keep his jaw off the ground. He was right about the shirt being too small, but he was wrong if he thought for even a second that Klaus would care. The shirt was snug on his shoulders and didn’t cover his entire torso, leaving a strip of skin above the waistline of his pants exposed. 

He spun on his heels with his arms up, bent at the elbows, and ended looking at Dave with a smile. 

“What d’ya think?” he asked. It took Dave a moment to respond. 

“Yeah, it looks good,” he said. Klaus’ smile grew just slightly. 

“Well if you think so, that’s all I need to hear,” he said. His eyes flicked around the store and he leaned a little closer to Dave. “I’m gonna make a run for it.” 

“Wha- no, Klaus.” As much as that would have interested him to see and he wasn’t necessarily against it, stealing was something he preferred to do to people after he knew they were assholes. If they weren’t he preferred it to be a last resort, and he still had some cash. “I got it.” 

Klaus stared up at him, eyes wide. 

“What?” 

“Yeah, don’t worry. I got it,” Dave said and made his way over to pay.

\-----

They’re at the bar. They’re drinking and dancing and drinking and drinking and drinking. Klaus’ eyes stopped jerking and wandering. Instead they’re focused on Dave. Over the shoulders of girls, over other dancers, over drinks. Just looking at him, but there was something in the look that made Dave think there was something more. Or just made him  _ hope _ it was something more. 

It was his hope in that look that he took with him to a quieter corner of the bar, hidden behind a bead curtain at the end of a twisting hallway. 

He was too overwhelmed. Confused. On the edge of drunk. He knew it was dumb to think about what he  _ couldn’t stop _ thinking about. The chances of it were slim to none in the first place, but even if it was true it was too dangerous to act on anyway. 

But then Klaus was there. Standing next to him. Looking at him. It made Dave’s mind reel. 

“What’s got you so screwed up?” he asked as he leaned back against the wall next to Dave. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

“You’re thinking too hard,” Klaus said and took another sip from his glass. “Whenever you do that your nose gets all screwed up like this.” He scrunched up his nose as an example, then let it fall back to normal with a laugh. “So, whatcha thinkin’ about?” He looked Dave right in the eyes and held his gaze steady. 

“Nothing that important,” he said and reached out for Klaus’ drink. He took a sip without breaking eye contact. 

“I don’t believe you.” Klaus took his drink back. He didn’t break eye contact either. 

“Fine, I was thinking about how funny it would be to watch Williams in that mess,” Dave lied. Klaus finally looked away as he let out a breathless laugh. 

“Man, I’d pay money to see that,” he said as he turned back to Dave. He turned his whole body toward him this time, pivoting on his shoulder pressed against the wall. “I still don’t believe you, though.” 

“Of fucking course you don’t,” Dave said and chuckled softly. 

“What can I say, I guess I just know you a little too well,” Klaus said softly. 

“Yeah,” Dave all but whispered. “I guess you do.” 

He knew it wasn’t a good idea. Stupid, even. Very stupid. But Dave still raised a hand and set it on Klaus’ cheek. 

He wasn’t sure how he expected Klaus to react. If he was  _ sure _ it wouldn’t go well he wouldn’t have done it, but there was always the chance Klaus wouldn’t be okay with it. He must have been though, because his face softened and he leaned ever-so-slightly into Dave’s touch. 

There was still time for him to stop. To take a step back and come up with some kind of excuse. To pretend they hadn’t just been inching closer to each other and walk away. 

But they didn’t. 

Instead, Dave guided Klaus toward him, and toward him, and toward him, and to him. And Klaus let him. 

They stood like that for a moment, pressed together and hidden behind the thin cover of beads. Dave was about to pull away, to use the last piece of sense he might have had, but then Klaus gently set a hand on his neck and softly pulled him closer, and Dave’s ability to do anything other than kiss him went out the window. 

Dave eventually had to pull away just to suck in a harsh breath, but they both paused and looked at each other. Klaus’ hand moved up Dave’s neck until his fingertips were in his hair. 

“I… I think,” he started and brought his other hand, still holding his glass, up to his cheek so the back of it was pressed against the back of Dave’s. “I think,” he paused again. “What do you think?” 

Dave flipped his hand so it was no longer resting on Klaus’ jaw, but with their palms together around the glass. He took the glass, moved it to his empty hand, and took Klaus’ hand again, properly this time. 

“I think,” he said. “We should head back to the hotel.” 

\-----

Dave couldn’t stop replaying the night in his head as he laid in bed the next morning. Leaving the bar. Getting back to the hotel. Heated kisses and wandering hands. 

He looked down at Klaus, who was still sleeping pressed against Dave’s side. He looked more calm than Dave had ever seen him. He never looked this peaceful during the short chunks of sleep here and there he managed to get when even Dave couldn’t doze off. He was always tossing and turning and whimpering. 

Not this time. Dave wondered what was different today, but he considered it a good thing that Klaus seemed calm, because  _ Dave _ certainly didn’t feel so. 

What had that night been? Did Klaus feel the same way he did, or had it just been a one time thing? Whatever Klaus did or didn’t want from this, Dave knew what he wanted and he couldn’t change that. 

His arm was wrapped around Klaus’ shoulders, and he began tracing patterns on his skin with his thumb. It wasn’t long after that Klaus stirred. 

“Hi,” he said and tightened his arm that was sprawled over Dave’s stomach. It made Dave the slightest bit calmer about his worries. 

“Hello,” Dave said softly and continued rubbing circles on Klaus’ shoulder. He moved the hand that was resting on his stomach and took Dave’s hand that wasn’t wrapped around his shoulder. 

“You okay?” he asked and looked up at Dave. 

“Yeah, I just,” he started, but didn’t want to finish. “It’s nothing.” 

“No it’s not,” Klaus said and pulled his hand away from Dave’s and ran up it up his arm then over his shoulder and stopped so it was resting on the side of his neck. “I know you too well, remember? What is it?” 

Dave shifted so he was sitting up a little more, and Klaus’ hand fell to his chest. 

“I just… what was this?” he forced out. 

“What?” 

“This,” Dave said and gestured wildly at, he wasn’t even sure what, between them. “Last night. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page about… whatever it was.” 

Dave’s heart was pounding. He was sure Klaus could feel it with his head still resting on his chest. He was looking up at him, and Dave could see the moment he realized what he meant. He sat up so his face was level with Dave’s. Dave’s heart was either beating faster than he could feel or had stopped entirely, but he was too focused on Klaus to think about how absurd the second option was. 

“Here,” Klaus started slowly. He paused and shook his head slightly. “Maybe, back home, with familiar places and familiar people, maybe then this is the kind of thing you can do once or twice and just let it go- move on, but not here. This is a time and place where this isn’t something you do unless you’re,” he paused again and licked his lips once. “Invested.” 

Dave could tell  _ invested _ wasn’t the first word he planned to finish with. He was silent while he considered it. During that moment of silence Klaus started to panic. 

“I mean,” he began rambling. “Not something  _ I _ would do unless  _ I _ was invested.” He sat up straight so he was farther away from Dave, who wanted to follow him across the bed. After feeling the warmth of his skin against his own, Dave would follow him across the world. “If you’re not invested that would make sense, too. I know my personal-” 

He cut himself off when Dave sat up and reached out and put a hand on his cheek. He ran his thumb across Klaus’ high cheekbone as he spoke. 

“Oh trust me,” he said, so soft even he barely heard it. “I’m invested.” 

_ I don’t know how or why _

_ Or who am I that I should get to hold you _

_ But when I saw you all alone against the sky _

_ It’s like I’d known you all along _

_ I knew you before we met _

_ And I don’t even know you yet _

_ All I’ve known is you’re someone I have always known _

“What are your sisters like?” Klaus asked one night back at base.

They were sitting up against their usual tree, facing away from camp. They were holding hands, safely hidden by the tree trunk. Klaus put his head on Dave’s shoulder as he answered. 

“They’re funny,” he said, chuckling as he remembered things they’d done together as kids. “They’re smart, impossible to get anything past. They’re twins, so they’re on their own level against the rest of us.” Klaus hummed beside him. “They’re younger than me, my brother’s older. The folks didn’t mind us all of us staying at home for so long, but our  _ falling out _ was about me being…” 

“Yeah,” Klaus said and squeezed his hand. 

“So,” Dave said, forcing himself to continue. “My parents and brothers can’t stand me, but the girls found ways to write.”

“That’s good,” Klaus said. 

“Yeah,” Dave agreed with a smile. “I was really worried they would hate me too. It was such a relief to get their first letter.” 

“Why don’t you write back?” 

“I don’t wanna risk anyone finding out they’re talking to me. I can’t see that ending well.” Klaus sat up next to him. “What?” When he looked over at him, Klaus had a gleam in his eyes that made Dave both excited and nervous. 

“ _ You _ can’t write to them,” he said. 

“Yeah,” Dave said slowly. 

“But what if it didn’t look like it was you.” 

“How would I do that?” 

“Put a different name on the envelope.” 

“How would I do that?” Dave asked incredulously. “I can’t put a random name and send it. They check them.” 

“Dave, honey,” Klaus said. “Really?” 

“What?” 

“Put my name,” he said. “It’ll get out of here  _ and _ past your parents. Just make sure to say that it’s you at the beginning, and it’ll all work out.” 

Dave stared at him. 

“Really?” 

“Of course,” Klaus said and laughed a little bit. “You wanna talk to them, don’t you?” 

“Yes… I mean-” Dave stopped. He didn’t know what else he could say. As much as he hoped, he’d never considered talking to his sisters any time soon a real possibility. 

“Dave,” Klaus said and leaned forward to he was directly in his line of sight. “Babe, you alright?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Dave said and nodded. “Thank you,” he added with a smile. Klaus smiled back. Dave leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. When he pulled away Klaus chased him for another. 

“You’re the best,” Dave whispered. 

“You would be the first to say so,” Klaus responded casually. Cheerfully, even. 

Times like that, whenever Klaus made some kind of fucked up comment about his past as if it nothing, Dave wanted to find every person who ever treated Klaus like he was nothing and… he didn’t know what he would do them. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. But he’d rather use that energy telling Klaus how wrong they were. 

“Well, I shouldn’t be,” he said and kissed him again. 

  
  


_ All I know is you’re someone I have always known _

_ And I don’t even know you _

_ Now I wanna hold you, hold you close _

_ I don’t wanna ever have to let you go _

_ Suddenly the sunlight _

_ Bright and warm _

_ Suddenly I’m holding the world in my arms _

Dave woke up alone one night. 

They were given another few days leave, and they had separated from the rest of the guys as soon as they could and found a hotel room. 

As soon as Dave realized Klaus was no longer next to him in bed he shot up and looked around the room. What if some of the guys broke into their room and found them? What if Klaus ran? What if he didn’t come back? What if his Dad-

He saw light through the cracks around the bathroom door. 

He slipped quietly out of bed and walked over to the door. As he got closer he could hear raspy, heavy breathing. He knocked on the door gently. 

“Klaus?” he called out softly. “Klaus, baby, what’s going on?” 

He opened the door when he got no response. Klaus was sitting on the floor up against the bathtub. His eyes were closed and he had his hands pressed against his ears. Dave slowly walked over to him, purposely making his steps loud so Klaus knew he was joining him. He didn’t move as he sat down next to him. 

“Klaus,” he said and contemplated putting a hand on his shoulder. He decided not to. “Klaus, baby.” 

He still didn’t say anything, but leaned over so he was pressed to Dave’s side. He slipped an arm around his shoulder and ran his hand up and down his arm. 

“Stop,” Klaus suddenly whimpered and Dave froze. “No, no,” he continued after a moment. “Not you.  _ Them _ .” Dave wasn’t sure who  _ they _ were, but as Klaus nestled farther into his side he despised them for making Klaus shake like he was. Dave resumed rubbing his hand over Klaus’ arm. 

“It’s okay,” he said in an attempt to calm him down even though it was clear everything wasn’t fine. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of Klaus’ head. “What do you need?” he muttered into his hair. 

“My…” Klaus started, but had to paused before finishing. “My bag.” 

“Okay,” Dave said softly. “I’ll be right back.” He placed another kiss on his head and slowly stood up. Klaus’ bag was on the floor between the two beds next to his mysterious briefcase. Dave grabbed the bag and hurried back to the bathroom. 

“Here you go,” he said as he sat back on the floor next to Klaus, who took it with shaky hands. Dave wrapped his arm back around him as he dug through it, probably for some kind of drug. He knew the drugs helped him calm down when he got like this, but he’d never seen him react this badly to whatever caused it. Klaus pulled a joint and lighter out of his bag. 

They sat together on the floor until Klaus had had enough to stop shaking. 

“Feeling better?” Dave asked softly. Klaus nodded. “You wanna go back to bed or just sit here for a minute?” 

“Bed,” he replied softly. He sounded like a terrified child. With that thought, Dave rubbed his hand up Klaus’ arm again and held him tighter. 

“Okay,” he said and stood up, then slowly helped Klaus to his feet. 

“I’m sorry,” Klaus whispered when they got back to bed. 

“For what?” Dave asked as they laid down next to each other. Klaus turned so he wasn’t looking at Dave at all, which made him nervous. Usually Klaus slept clinging to his side for dear life. 

“You deserve better,” Klaus said. Dave felt his heart sink in his chest. 

“Klaus-” 

“You deserve better than some self absorbed junkie who wakes you up in the middle of the fucking night because he can’t stop the screaming in his head. You deserve better than risking your fucking life for some asshole who can’t even talk about his life without sounding crazy.” 

But he was wrong. God, Klaus couldn’t see how wrong he was. About himself. About Dave. 

“Klaus,” he said quietly. “Klaus, baby, look at me.” He put a hand on his shoulder and Klaus finally rolled over and looked at him. Dave smiled softly and brushed Klaus’ curls out of his face. 

“You’re so much better than you think,” he said. Klaus’ face softened just a little bit before he looked away so they weren’t making eye contact. “Klaus, honey, I love you.” Klaus’ eyes darted back to Dave’s. He looked terrified, but Dave continued. “Okay? As far as I’m concerned, there is no better.” 

Klaus didn’t look entirely convinced. Dave moved his hand so it was cupping Klaus’ cheek. 

“Trust me,” Dave said. “What I have is pretty great.” 

Klaus closed his eyes and leaned into Dave’s chest. 

“I just-” he started, but Dave anticipated what was coming and cut him off. 

“I know. But whatever terrible thing you’re about to say about yourself… it’s not true.” 

Klaus sighed. Dave could feel the heat on his chest. Klaus didn’t say anything else for a while, but as Dave was drifting back off, Klaus jerked away and looked at him. 

“I love you too, by the way,” he said. Dave chuckled and pulled Klaus back against him. Soon his breathing evened out. 

Dave knew there was a lot about Klaus he didn’t know, and maybe never would know. He knew he’d always had nightmares, and tons of other crap he had never opened up about. Dave never let it bother him. Not that he ever had to stop it; it never got close to upsetting him. He had this Klaus, and that was more than enough for him. Maybe one day Klaus would open up; maybe he wouldn’t. Either way, Dave wanted to be there when he made his choice. 

He closed his eyes, felt Klaus in his arms, and fell asleep content. 

\-----

It had been a few weeks since he’d sent his letter to his sisters. With every mail arrival that he didn’t get a response he got more and more worried using Klaus’ name to send it hadn’t worked, and that his parents had found out and that he would never get a response. 

“Here ya go, Katz,” Chaz said and passed him a letter. He read the return address and his heart started to pound.  _ Elizabeth and Joanna Katz _ . He made his way back to his bunk and sat on his cot. 

“Is that from…” Klaus asked, but trailed off when Dave nodded before he could finish. “What are you waiting for? Open it.” Dave finally looked up from the letter when Klaus set a hand on his forearm. He looked as excited as Dave felt. He opened the letter carefully. 

“Dave,

We were so excited that you were able to write to us! Luckily we were the only ones home when the letter arrived, so we know what to say if someone asks who Klaus Hargreeves is. We’re going to say he’s an old friend with no family who desperately wants to talk to someone outside the war. Isn’t that a good cover?

Speaking of Klaus, ever since we got your letter we’ve been wondering the real nature of your relationship. He must be a  _ very _ good friend to let you write under his name… you’d better get what we’re implying here, Dave, and we expect an answer immediately. Don’t leave us in suspense! 

We hope you can continue to write! We loved hearing back and knowing you’re okay. 

Love, 

Elizabeth & Joanna.” 

Dave couldn’t keep the smile off his face. 

“Good?” Klaus asked after a moment, his eyebrows raised expectantly. 

“Great,” Dave said. Klaus smiled, and it was one of the ones he couldn’t stop from reaching his eyes. 

“That’s good,” he said. 

“Yeah, it is,” Dave replied with a giant smile on his own face. They sat there together for a minute, staring at each other and smiling, but both looked away when Daniels walked by. Klaus ripped his hand from Dave’s arm. Klaus looked back over and smiled at him again, but it didn’t reach his eyes this time. 

_ Say that you’ll hold me forever _

_ Say that the wind won’t change on us _

_ Say that we’ll stay with each other _

_ And it will always be like this _

_ I’m gonna hold you forever _

_ The wind will never change on us _

_ Long as we stay with each other _

It was Dave’s turn to have a nightmare. It started the same way they always did; his father roughly forcing a man out the door, but this time he had a face. Klaus was bloodied and bruised when he turned around and looked at Dave before the door was shut in his face. He looked angry. Angry at Dave. His father hit him and hit him again. His sisters were upset with him. His father hit him again. 

He jerked awake and sat straight up in bed. He was breathing heavily and not sure where he was. He continued breathing and jumped when someone put a hand on his arm. 

“Dave,” Klaus said softly. Dave looked around wildly. “Dave, Dave,” he said again. Dave finally caught a glimpse of his face. He looked worried. 

“Oh god,” Dave muttered as he looked at Klaus. Klaus, his face not beaten. Fine. “Oh god, Klaus are you okay?” 

“Am I- am  _ I _ okay?” he said and brought a hand up to Dave’s cheek. “You wake up in the middle of the night and ask  _ me _ if  _ I’m _ okay?” Dave closed his eyes and shook his head. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he said and opened his eyes. He pulled Klaus closer. “Sorry. Bad dream.” 

They laid back down after the few minutes it took Dave to calm down. They laid there together, Dave’s arm wrapped tightly around Klaus’ shoulders. Klaus’ fingers drifted over Dave’s skin. 

“It started the way they all do,” Dave whispered after a while when neither of them fell back asleep. He felt Klaus’ head shift to look up at him, and he continued when he didn’t say anything. “I’m back at home, and my dad is really mad and there’s a guy there. Usually he doesn’t have a face, I just see his back while my dad kicks him out of the house. He obviously found out… that I’m… and he closes the door on the guy and turns around and hits me.” He felt Klaus tense up beside him. “And my sisters are there and they obviously hate me. And it was different this time. My dad hit me more than usual and… and I actually saw the guy’s face this time.” 

“Did that actually happen?” Klaus asked. “Your dad?” He trailed off before he had to finish, and Dave knew what he meant. 

“No, no,” he answered and rubbed his hand up and down Klaus’ arm. “He never did that. He obviously wanted to when he found out, and he got really close, but he never did. There was never a guy for him to kick out either. I don’t know how they found out, but it wasn’t because I brought a guy home. And when I got a look at this guy’s face it was obvious Dad saw it before I did.” 

“How bad?” Klaus asked softly. 

“Real bad,” Dave answered. “Didn’t like seeing you like that.” Klaus laid his head down against Dave. 

“I’m right here,” he said. “Just fine.” 

“I know.” Dave turned his head and pressed a gentle kiss to Klaus’ head. “Just fine.” 

\-----

They’d done their part so the guys wouldn’t get suspicious, then locked the hotel room door behind them. Dave was half asleep on his side facing Klaus. Klaus was also on his side with his back to him, and Dave slipped an arm around his waist and moved a bit closer to him. Klaus took Dave’s hand in his and Dave pressed a kiss on the back of his neck. 

“You okay?” he asked softly. Klaus nodded and turned so he was laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. His hand let go of Dave’s, which remained stretched across his stomach. 

“Yeah, I’m just not used to this,” he said. 

“What?” Dave asked, voice still soft. He leaned toward Klaus and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, then another on his jaw, then on his neck. 

“This,” Klaus said when Dave didn’t move away, sitting with his lips just above his skin. 

“Hmmm,” Dave hummed. “Why not?” 

“I’ve never really been more than just a quick fuck for anyone,” Klaus said. His voice was casual, but Dave could feel his tension. He propped himself up on his elbow. 

“Klaus, I-” 

“No, don’t,” he interrupted, eyes glued to the stained ceiling. “I never really wanted to be, ya know? God, I’m so messed up, I thought I wouldn’t handle it well.” 

Dave felt awkward when Klaus paused. He became hyper aware of his arm still draped over Klaus’ stomach. With this new information, he wanted to move it, but it felt heavy all of a sudden. 

“Where and when I’m from, as long as you’re gone in the morning it was just… nothing. And that was fine. Everyone was always gone in the morning, anyway, or I was. Sometimes they didn’t last more than a few minutes. And that first night, with you…” he trailed off and shook his head with a chuckle. He turned his head so he was looking directly at Dave. 

“I woke up and you were still there,” he laughed. Dave couldn’t move; his heart was pounding and he couldn’t move. The only thing stopping him from speaking was remembering the ‘invested’ conversation they’d had that first morning. “And all I could think was ‘ _ thank God _ .’”

Dave moved his hand to Klaus’ cheek. He made sure Klaus was looking at him before he spoke.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. Klaus nodded and nestled more into Dave, who continued. “Ever. In here, out there, back in the States. If you want me there, I’m not going anywhere.” 

Klaus squeezed his waist harder. 

“You’re gonna regret saying that,” he said. “You’re gonna be stuck with me forever, now.” 

“Nah,” Dave said, slightly exaggerated. “I won’t regret it.” 

They planned after that. 

At mealtimes. On patrol. At night when they couldn’t sleep. They planned their life together. 

“A bathtub,” Klaus said with both of Dave’s hands in his own. “You think I spent a lot of time in the bath while we have time off? I’m never getting out of the bath when we get outta here. I’m gonna die lookin’ like a raisin.” 

“Okay,” Dave chuckled. “We’ll get the nicest bathtub we can find.” 

“What about you?” Klaus asked and sat up straighter. “What do you want?” 

“Hmm,” Dave hummed with a tilt of his head. “Would it be too cheesy if I said anything as long as you’re there?” Klaus laughed. 

“Yes. Yes, it would be terrible,” he said but kissed him anyway. 

“What about a cat?” Dave suggested. Klaus smiled. 

“Oh my god, yes,” he said. “Yes, yes. We have to get cats!” 

“Hey, I said ‘ _ a _ cat,’” Dave said and pulled a hand free from Klaus’ and pointed at him. 

“And I said cats,” Klaus said with a grin. He put an elbow on his knee and rested his chin on the palm of that hand. “And I think I might win this one.” 

“You’re right,” Dave said and leaned forward to kiss him again. He stopped just before their lips met and said softly said, “I can’t wait.” Klaus smiled and leaned all the way in. 

And god, Dave really couldn’t wait. Him and Klaus, a life. 

It would be perfect. 

_ Then it will always be like this _

But all because of a single bullet, it couldn’t be. 

**Author's Note:**

> me @ me: youre writing a vietnam fic so you have to write dave dying  
> me in response: FUCK YOU


End file.
